trump the barbarian at asia’s gate...soul-mate, the real donald j. trump. but one could forgive...

To say that Trump is ungainly and ungraceful, unlike his nights-haunting former President

Barack Obama, both physically and intellectually, is to state the obvious. One only had to

watch the awkward, blundering, gaffe filled 12 days of Trump in Asia to get all the

verification that one would want of this man, to be the caricature of the historical western

‘barbarian’ to the protocol and tradition sensitive Asians that hosted him; except of course

to the ‘fellow-boor-in-arms’, the rude, lawless, self-indulgent boor (Trump of the East)

Rodrigo ‘Rody’ Roa Duterte, President of the Philippines, who apparently hit it off with his

soul-mate, the real Donald J. Trump.

But one could forgive Trump’s ungainliness if he was a true master negotiator that

outwitted his adversaries in business, trade and military threats to America, and came out

winning without giving up a lot. But that didn’t happen, this prolonged Asia trip, in spite of

Trump trying to portray it as the ‘most successful trip ever’. And as to restoring America’s

respect in Asia, he obviously doesn’t see himself as most of the World does - the one most

responsible for the loss of it in the first place, and as the supremely inept, stumble-prone

character ‘Inspector Clouseau’, immortalized by the British actor Peter Sellers in the ‘Pink

Panther’ movies.

In arriving in Japan, the very first stop, the historically ignorant and culturally insensitive

Trump, warned all rivals of America to beware of what it does to its adversaries, ‘they

don’t do so well’, he proclaimed. And although the open threat was mostly directed at

North Korea, the main topic of concern, in his consistent enthusiasm for appearing tough,

Trump was oblivious to the fact that he was in Japan, one of the famed former adversaries

of America which had been totally destroyed, and had to, at the point of American

invading guns and nuclear bombs (2 already dropped), humiliatingly accept ‘unconditional

surrender’, and sign a American drafted, hog-tying, ‘Pacifist Constitution’, transforming

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Trump – The Barbarian at Asia’s Gate

November 19, 2017

WRITTEN BY: ASHOK DHILLON

Japan from a former far-eastern military and economic ‘Super Power’, into a militarily

neutered subordinate vassal-state that had to be re-built economically with the help of the

United States.

These historical undertones

were beyond Trump’s ken as

he proclaimed America’s

destructive power, standing

on the ground of a formerly

destroyed and forcibly

restrained Japan – now a

sensitive close ally, at the very

start of his Asia trip. Beyond

that inauspicious beginning

Trump did not make any significant policy advancements in Japan but went through the

obligatory golfing and the feeding of the Koi, which he ended with a rather inelegant

flourish. His exhortation to the Japanese automakers to ‘try and manufacture their cars in

America’ was another ‘gulp’ moment as he seemed blithely unaware that almost all major

Japanese auto manufactures already build their cars in the U.S., and have been since the

1980s. Gulp!!

In South Korea, the critical topic of concern was of course the threat of a nuclear North

Korea, and as there isn’t much anybody can do about it except for all the efforts already

underway, the big question going in, in fact the only question was - if Trump would visit

the heavily defended DMZ (De-Militarized Zone), the front line between North and South

Korea. After playing coy for weeks, Trump took a pass and did not go to the DMZ because

of fog or perhaps it was the old bone spur acting up.

After criticizing South Korea for months for the trade imbalance between it and the U.S.,

he tried to be ‘Presidential’ and praised the industrial progress South Korea had made in

the last past decades. Not exactly informative or strategic discourse expected from a U.S.

President that was going to bring North Korea and Kim Jong-Un quickly to heel, with the

statement ‘it ain’t happening’, to their missile tests. As that didn’t happen and North Korea

retaliated to the threat with accelerated testing, Trump could come up with no significant

new strategy on curbing North Korea, or for that matter improving the trade imbalance in

a constructive way.

The visit to China was the ‘biggie’ this trip. In trying to stop North Korea from its nuclear

ambitions and in terms of trade, China is to Trump the most important ally and adversary.

Trump – The

Barbarian at Asia’s Gate


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In China, the only real threat to America’s global dominance, one that Trump had

mercilessly castigated for being America’s nemesis during his election campaign, the

simpleton ‘Barbarian’ was easily seduced by the austere and long-range thinkers and

strategists of President Xi Jinping, who awed Trump with pomp and ceremony, thick

flattery, seductive prizes as promises of deals, iffy MOUs that mostly wither and die over

time, and promises of change to business regulations that are easily reversed and

manipulated by the Chinese authorities.

More starry-eyed foreign businesses have foundered on Chinese promises than trying to

sail around the Cape of Good Hope in the old days of wooden ships, and yet Trump chased

the willow-of-wisps throughout the trip, distracted and awed by Chinese displays of

grandeur while basking in their incessant ego stroking. China was, and is, Trump’s greatest

challenge overall, and rather than taming them, as he had often belligerently threatened,

they had him collared and on a tight glittering short leash. And apart from threatening

total annihilation of North Korea with a pre-emptive nuclear strike, which has U.S.

Senators back home spooked enough to explore ways to restrain Trump’s ability to launch

a nuclear strike, Trump’s only real strategy to curb North Korea is to implore and pressure

China to do something. So China was his most important stop.

China, conversely, has figured out how to tame Trump with no damage to itself. It has

adopted a campaign of overt pampering of Trump while giving away nothing important.

This simple strategy has won the Chinese a number of important concessions and high

profile public victories, while silencing Trump on China-sensitive issues of human-rights

and South China Seas.

Firstly, Trump no longer berates China as a ‘currency manipulator’ and after Xi’s incessant

stroking, seems to have forgotten about it altogether, purring effusive praise of Xi instead

and giving him ‘credit’ for taking advantage of America, all the while slamming ‘previous

Administration’ for having ‘horrible’ relations with China.

Trump – The



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Secondly, Trump used to constantly berate the former American Presidents for allowing

China to ‘rape’ America and get rich solely at its expense. Since taking office, Trump and

team have not taken a single concrete step to materially change anything in its Trade

relationship with China, or curb it in anyway, except to politely ask it to reduce its Trade

surplus with the U.S. ‘pretty please’. China has equally politely said it would think about it,

while making some shallow challenges and promises that do not change the structural

trade practices materially.

Thirdly, China has eagerly stepped into the global leadership role vacated by the self-

imposed retreat of Trump’s America, with Xi stepping into the emptied U.S. President’s

shoes as the de-facto World Leader at global forums such as APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic

Co-operation), one they both attended in Vietnam, this trip, and East-Asia Summit which

Trump skipped, on critical issues of World Trade, Environmental Protection, and World

Peace.

The Europeans have looked on askance at the abdication of leadership from America to

China and Putin’s Russia, but because of the ‘strongman’ star-struck Trump, they are

helpless in doing anything about it. For this gift of World-leadership, China didn’t have to

give up anything. The gift of World leadership was freely given and readily accepted by Xi

who probably can’t believe his good fortune in being handed the World on the proverbial

silver platter, with ‘TRUMP’ logo emblazoned on it, while Trump preened himself under

Xi’s ever smooth stroking hand.

Since his inauguration as President about a year ago, Trump has tried energetically to get

help from China to stop North Korea and Kim Jong-Un from testing their missiles and

developing the nuclear program. But instead, since his Presidency, Trump has been openly

challenged and repeatedly humiliated by Kim Jong-Un and North Korea as they accelerated

their missile launches and carried out nuclear tests instead, in open defiance of his

bellicose threats, and of U.N. resolutions. Kim Jong-Un in-fact ordered a frenzy of missile

testing, reducing Trump to plaintively plead, ‘does this guy have nothing else to do but fire

missiles all day’. And as to Trump’s bellicosity, Kim Jong-Un matched Trump threat for

threat and insult for insult, openly.

At first Trump, while entertaining him at his resort in Florida Mar-a-Lago, appealed to

President Xi, to use China’s influence on North Korea to curb their missile and nuclear

Trump – The



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program and in return promised to curb his own criticism and threats on China. Xi took

Trump’s concessions and did practically nothing with North Korea as Kim Jong-Un, fired-off

more missiles than ever after Trump’s and Xi’s meeting, in greater defiance. Trump then

tried to shame Xi into action by declaring that Xi tried but couldn’t do anything. And when

that didn’t work on the unflappable Xi, Trump blamed him for North Korea’s aggression.

China calmly pointed out that North Korea was not its sole responsibility but the World’s.

Trump the self proclaimed deal maker, thwarted on all fronts, then fell to his knees

(figuratively speaking) and was reduced to begging Xi for help in controlling North Korea.

That posture is still maintained today, essentially, and post Trump’s Asia trip, Trump again

has entreated Xi to intervene, and try and curb Kim Jong-Un.

China still refuses to take responsibility and action on behalf of Trump and America,

instead, Xi sent an Envoy to North Korea right after Trump’s visit to publicly reinforce the

traditional friendship between the two countries (China and North Korea) calling the

relationship ‘valuable wealth for their peoples’; so much for winning deal making from

Trump.

Finally, after this grand ‘Asia’ visit the Chinese strategists again exacted a concession out of

Trump without giving up anything. They have gotten Trump to agree to ‘dual suspension’

rather than a ‘freeze for a freeze’ method for trying to constrain North Korea. What that

means is that Xi got Trump to agree that America will withhold joint defensive military

exercises with South Korea, in order for North Korea to agree to possibly curbing its missile

and nuclear program. Trump has apparently agreed to such a condition, North Korea

apparently hasn’t, and may never, and China sailed through taking credit from Trump

while risking or giving up nothing.

North Korea considers American/South Korean joint military exercises ‘threatening

aggression’ while the U.S. calls them ‘defensive in nature’. Never the twain shall meet.

As Trump completed the rest of the Asia trip by visiting Vietnam, where he wandered by

the waiting Vietnamese Leader without recognizing him, and then caught himself just in

time, and went on to give a full throated speech to the Leadership of the countries of APEC

(Asia- Pacific Economic Co-operation), making it a point to call it ‘Indo-Pacific’, as if the

change in name and the inclusion of India (India does not belong to that group) will contain

China. It was not only naive but short on vision and any semblance of concrete long-term

strategy that would ensure open trade, secure China’s neighbouring countries, and

guarantee the continued openness of the crucial South China Sea, most which was not

addressed in deference to China.

Instead Trump elevated China, and through ‘America First’ insistence, put all Asian allies on

notice to look to themselves, and to each other, to counter China’s rising power. With

America retreating China’s importance lifts in everyone’s eyes. It also didn’t help that

Trump effusively praised China’s President Xi Jinping at every opportunity as a ‘very special

man’, someone who was recently coronated as the most power leader in recent Chinese

history. The Leaders of the other regional countries took note of the America’s President’s

fawning respect for Xi.

In the global forums, the balance of power shifted as Trump publicly abdicated it. And with

ne’er-a-thank-you, Xi Jinping easily stepped into the opening, talking, in his turn, about the

need for global trade, inclusion rather than isolation, joint action on environmental

protection, and the joint effort required towards World peace. Xi Jinping received a

standing ovation for proposing all the things that Trump so loudly rejected and discarded

voluntarily.

Trump – The



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At the ASEAN (Association of East Asian Nations) Summit in the Philippines, Trump flubbed

the across-body-double-hand-shake, did not bring up the gross violations of human rights

or the lawless extra-judicial killing of citizens by President Rodrigo Duterte, instead he

admired his murderous methods openly, and again failed to address China’s aggression in

South China Seas.

While Trump was strong on rhetoric, as usual, he was ultra-light to totally absent on

specific policy on the key issues that were to be the core of his ‘Asia trip’. Trump by and

large ignored his previous strong criticisms of China on currency manipulation, unfair trade

practices, aggression and threat of closure of South China Seas, and human rights

violations, but was clear and specific on heaping unlimited praise on Xi Jinping, while

openly insulting America’s past Presidents.

With the other countries of East Asia, he was equally non-specific on changes to un-fair

trade practices, defensive measures against North Korea’s nuclear threat, and China’s

general aggression towards its neighbors and its bid to control the disputed areas of South

China Seas.

As he pulled America out of the comprehensive multi-country TPP (Trans-Pacific

Partnership), the other nations came together (as in the Paris Accord) and decided to move

forward without the United States.

The Bi-Lateral Trade Agreements that Trump favors are yet to be negotiated as Trump

stresses his ‘America First’ doctrine in isolation, while the World moves on. With Trump’s

and America’s abdication, China and Xi Jinping have stepped-up and taken the mantle of

World leadership at the various global forums while Trump and America played with name

changes as a grand strategy, of ‘Indo-Pacific’ in a Summit to which India is not even a

member, to throw China off. The shallowness of such strategy is stunning in a mature

‘Super Power’, but understandable in a severely mismanaged one, with an uncultured,

unsophisticated ‘Barbarian’ at its helm.

Trump – The



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trump the barbarian at asia’s gate...soul-mate, the real donald j. trump. but one could forgive...

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